Ares
In Greek mythology, Ares (Greek: Αρης) is Olympian god of war, battlelust, courage, and civil order. His sacred attributes include a shield, a spear, a sword, a vulture, an owl, a helmet, a flaming torch, a dog, and a boar. Ares is typically accompanied by his sons, Deimos and Phobos, as well as Eris, Enyo, Enyalius, Kydoimos, the Makhai, the Hysminai, Polemos, and Alala. Ares' sister, Hebe, draws baths for him. Ares is equated with Mars in Roman mythology, Anhur in Egyptian mythology, and Laran in Etruscan mythology. Mythology The Aloadae The Aloadae threw Ares into chains and put him in a bronze urn where he remained for thirteen months. Ares was screaming and howling in the urn until Hermes rescued him and Artemis tricked the Aloadae into slaying one another. Trojan War Although Ares initially had no fixed allegiances and rewarded courage on both sides, he was persuaded by Aphrodite to side with the Trojans. During the war, Diomedes fought with Hector and saw Ares fighting with the Trojans. Diomedes called for his soldiers to slowly fall back. Athena saw Ares' interference and asked Zeus for permission to drive Ares away from the battlefield, which Zeus granted. Hera and Athena encouraged Diomedes to attack Ares. Diomedes thrust his spear at Ares and Athena drove it home. Ares' cries made the Achaeans and Trojans both tremble and Ares fled to Mount Olympus, forcing the Trojans to fall back. When Hera mentioned to Zeus that Ascalaphus, Ares' son, had been killed, Ares wanted to join the fight on the side of the Achaeans, disregarding Zeus' order that no Olympian should enter the battle, but he was stopped by Athena. Later, when Zeus allowed the gods to fight again, Ares was the first to act, attacking Athena to avenge himself for his previous injury. However, Athena overpowered him by striking him with a boulder. Affairs Aphrodite The sun god Helios once spied Ares and Aphrodite enjoying each other secretly in the hall of Hephaestus, her husband. He reported the incident to Hephaestus. Contriving to catch the couple in the act, Hephaestus fashioned a finely-knit and nearly-invisible net with which to snare them. At the appropriate time, this net was sprung and trapped Ares and Aphrodite locked in a very private embrace. However, Hephaestus was not satisfied with this revenge so he invited the Olympian gods and goddesses to view the unfortunate pair. For the sake of modesty, the goddesses demured but the male gods went to witness the sight. Some commented on the beauty of Aphrodite while others remarked that they would eagerly trade places with Ares, but all who were present mocked the two. Once released, Ares returned to his homeland, Thrace, and Aphrodite left to Paphos. In a later affair, Ares set the youth Alectryon by his door to warn them of Helios' arrival, as Helios would tell Hephaestus of Aphrodite's infidelity if the two were discovered, but Alectryon fell asleep. Helios discovered the two and alerted Hephaestus. Furious, Ares turned Alectryon into a rooster, which now always announces the arrival of the sun in the morning. Family Ares was born from the union between the king and queen of Olympus, Zeus and Hera. He had many children with many mortal women and goddesses, including: Category:Greek mythology Category:Greek gods Category:Greek deities